First of all, I think it’s fantastic that you want to help your friend!
Secondly, just a disclaimer, I have not had a heart attack (thankfully), so I am not too familiar with any specific medication interactions/restrictions, etc.
However, I did eat really unhealthy for years and years (although I grew up with a relatively healthy diet), and I decided to make a change, specifically to improve my overall health. In the process, I also lost about 25-30 pounds in a little under a year.
Here’s what worked for me.
I started with my top problem - sugar. I don’t believe it’s the same problem for everyone (for your friend, it may be fast food or eating out too much). But for me, I just ate sugar all the time. I limited my sugar intake to 50 grams of added sugar a day, the old recommendation - the new recommendation for women is 25 grams of sugar a day, but for someone who literally ate sugar all the time, it was just unrealistic. However, I counted everything that had added sugar, not just dessert, but bread and canned things, etc.
To combat sugar cravings, I ate as much fruit as I wanted. Including bananas, mangos, etc. Again, I don’t know if it works well for everyone, but it worked really well for me - I don’t believe in cutting out fruits.
I started eating breakfast (oatmeal) on a regular basis. I also didn’t eliminate anything from my diet, but I made a deal with myself that I would only have one serving size - as in, if I want chips, go for it, but just the one serving size.
From there, for me, the next step was eliminating processed foods almost entirely. Nothing frozen or in bags, etc. etc. (except for dessert - I still have a dessert every night).
I am still in the process of eating healthier. It’s a journey, and this is just a brief summary, but here’s where I am today:
For breakfast, I have steel-cut oatmeal with milk (whole milk, no sugar added). Sometimes, I will have a bagel with cream cheese, when we have them at work. Again, I am not trying to cut out any foods. This is not a diet for me, but a lifestyle change.
For lunch, I have a cheese sandwich on whole wheat or quinoa bread, with a little butter and Swiss cheese, and some cucumbers, or tomatoes, or radishes.
Then, I usually snack on some nuts in the afternoon.
And then I have a grapefruit later on.
When I come home, I have fruit (I do eat a lot of bananas).
Then, I have an avocado - I eat an avocado a day - I love them.
I also have a little bit of plain whole Greek yogurt (no sugar added)
For dinner, I have a protein (I don’t eat meat - I stopped eating meat years ago) - lentils, green peas, sardines, oysters, cheeseetc., but no processed stuff, like vegetarian meets - I LOVE them, but, again, I am trying to stay away from processed foods - and a mix of vegetable. The veggies I usually have are broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes, radishes, asparagus, spinach - in different combinations. I love mushrooms too!
After dinner, I have dessert - that sweet tooth is still there! I have lowered my total added sugar intake to 35 grams a day though, and some day hope to go down the recommended 25 grams, but not any time soon.
I snack on fruit throughout the evening.
Generally, I don’t count calories (again, this may not work for everyone) - in the beginning, I just tried to stick to one portion/serving of everything. Approximately, I think I eat a little over 2,000 calories a day.
On the physical activity front, I started walking my dog at least a mile and a half a day. I probably do about 4-5 miles total a day over the course of just regular activity. I also run stairs in my building (to the seventh floor and down, 3 times) five times a week, and I am training push-ups three times a week.
As I mentioned, I lost about 25-30 pounds and am now back to my healthy weight - within about five pounds of the weight I was back in high school (and I was a very healthy teen). More importantly, I have been getting sick (colds) a lot less. I am less achy. I have more energy! I really can tell the difference.
Personally, I don’t believe in low-calorie, fat-reduced foods. Besides tons of sugar, I think they are too highly-processed. My personal goal is to get nutrition from the foods, rather than powders, supplements, etc. I know not everyone will agree.
By, the way, I will go out and eat freshly-made pizza or pasta - nothing wrong with that.
I think eating healthier is so personal for everyone. I would see what route your friend wants to take. Personally, I don’t think there is anything wrong with bringing steamed veggies as a side (that’s what I eat, in large part because I don’t cook (and don’t want to cook) and work long hours, so I need meals I can do in under 10 minutes - same as I could back when I ate frozen/processed foods). But I do buy only fresh veggies, no frozen - I have stopped using my freezer entirely.
For snacks, personally, I would not welcome flavored yogurts (too much sugar, too processed) or low-fat stuff (same issues). She may feel differently. I like edamame, avocados, nuts, sometimes string cheese, lots of different fruits. I would rather have something ‘boring’, but something I feel good about eating. I didn’t always feel that way.
I guess what I am trying to say is that it’s such a personal journey and choice, that it’s hard to give advice.